When it comes to treating obesity, the three basic approaches include lifestyle management (physical activity and caloric restriction), pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery.

But who wants to actually go through lifestyle modification or undergo surgery in order to lose weight, when perfectly simple alternative therapies are available?

I recently came across a book entitled “New Choices in Natural Healing” which provides a variety of potential solutions to your bulging waistline.

And none of them require you to change your lifestyle or really do much of anything – IMAGINE!

Cutting calories and exercising not working for you?

Why not give imagery a try?

“Picture yourself in a mirror, seeing a vision of a thinner you. Now envision yourself entering the mirror and merging with the image. Notice the sensations you feel. Now come out of the mirror and stand in front of it again. Push the image out of the mirror and to the right with your right hand.”

And voila! You are no longer obese.

How simple was that?

If becoming more active does not appeal to you, how about becoming LESS active to shed some pounds?

That’s right – relaxation and meditation is another suggested weight-loss method is this brilliant book.

“…Lawrence LeShan, Ph.D., suggests choosing a word such as “hungry”, “diet”, “thin”, “fat”, or the name of your favourite binge food as a mantra, a word to repeat over and over again.”

What could be more effective for curbing snacking on unhealthy foods than repeating the word “chocolate” a bunch of times?

“Dr. LeShan suggests doing this for 15 minutes a day, five times a week, for at least 6 weeks.”

Pure.

Genious.

And if the above 2 therapies fail, then you can try the ultimate solution: sound therapy.

“Playing slow, soft music during meals will encourage you to eat slower – and maybe eat less…”

It is reported that the Titatic soundtrack, particularly, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” is the most potent anorectic ditty.

Peter

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3 Responses to How to “Naturally Heal” Your Obesity

Nice article Peter, interesting suggestion. I have to admit that you made me smile with the “My heart will go on”, imagine really obese frustrated or depressed people crying over the plate and listening to it.

What about the “diet” for the folks (including me) who are ICT’s managers, geeks, or in the middle of dissertation writing (again me:) ), and spend days sitting and writing?
Any quick tips for stretching maybe or back exercise to keep it “fit” during these hermitting days? Please write about PhD folks or folks to stay up writing for long hours.

About the Authors

Peter Janiszewski has a PhD in clinical exercise physiology. He's a medical writer/editor, a published obesity researcher, university lecturer, and an avid traveler. You can connect with Peter on Twitter. For more information please visit his website.

Travis Saunders has a PhD in Human Kinetics, and is an Assistant Professor in Applied Human Science. His research focuses on the relationship between sedentary time (e.g. sitting) and chronic disease risk in both children and adults. He is also a Certified Exercise Physiologist and competitive distance runner. You can connect with Travis on Twitter and Google+.

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed here belong only to Peter and Travis and do not reflect the views of any organization. Any medical discussion on this page is intended to be of a general nature only. This page is not designed to give specific medical advice. If you have a medical problem you should consult your own physician for advice specific to your own situation.